Mahi Mahi, The Other Whitefish

Since I am usually cooking for two people nowadays, it gets a little tough finding food in proportions.  I don't like cutting steaks in half, or chicken breasts, you get the picture.  But, since I do a lot of food shopping at Trader Joe's, I started perusing their frozen section.  Now, I don't use a lot of things frozen, most of my cooking is fresh, when it comes to meat or fish.  So while looking through their fish section, they are reasonably priced by the way I just thought I would throw that out there for you, I saw packages of Mahi Mahi and thought I would given them a try.  Well I wasn't sorry, four nice pieces for less than $7.  There was a recipe for 2 different sauces right on the package, as well as lots of different ways to cook it.  You gotta love Trader Joe's, they do everything for you, and  in less than 7 minutes dinner is on the table, you can't beat that!  Check out Trader Joe's, lots of good things that are good for you in that grocery store.

Recipe below.

To print recipe click on it, highlight and print.

To view photos in a larger format, click on them.

Look at these beautiful cuts of Mahi Mahi, ready to sear in the pan.

Just right.....

     

 Now for the sauce - Butter, lemon, fresh parsley, salt and pepper.

     

Wow this has amazing flavor!

 

 So, I went a little overboard, everything for dinner was from Trader Joe's.  These vegetables are awesome.

 Oh, the whole grain rolls and sweet potatoes were too!  The rolls are a new favorite in the house.  

 How delicious does this look?

Mahi Mahi in Lemon Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 fillets Mahi Mahi

1/2 of a stick butter (2 oz)

Zest from a lemon

Juice from lemon

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over high heat.  Sprinkle fillets with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cook fish in pan for 3 minutes on each side.  In a medium microwaveable bowl, melt the butter with lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and the remaining salt and pepper. Pour over the fish in the pan, simmer for a few minutes until the flavors meld together.  Makes 4 servings. 

MMMM.....Pound Cake!

Pound cake is a comfort food for me, it's rich, buttery and moist.  What other three things do you need in any cake, I mean you could add frosting, that ALWAYS makes a cake better, but pound cake alone is great.  To me pound cake is an all day food, you can eat it for breakfast and as a dessert after lunch and dinner.  It's great by itself with a cup a joe or tea, toasted all alone, or with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce, caramel sauce or both, or raspberry sauce and whipped cream. I could go on and on, but I won't, you get the picture.  I would eat it all , I am telling you I love it that much!  

OK, so I am back in the kitchen after decorating the house for Christmas, more on that later. I got bored yesterday and made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies (check out the recipe from July 31, 2013 blog) and this pound cake.  The whole house smelled wonderful as all this was baking, chocolaty from the cookies and then lemony from the cake.  The hubby will be pleased, he gets his sweet after dinner and can dress it up however he likes.  Oh, the little things in life that make us happy!

Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

To view photos in a larger format, click on them.

Simple fresh ingredients is all it takes to make a delicious, rich, buttery and moist pound cake

 My old standby - Baker's Joy for spraying and flouring the baking pan.

 Cream the butter.....

 Add the sugar.....

 Add the eggs, one at a time.....

 Flour and salt....

 Vanilla, lemon zest and a little milk.....

 Mixing is complete and ready to go in the pan.  This took all of  less than 8 minutes to mix.

 Spread it out into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.

 Bake for 1 1/2 hours (90 minutes) or a cake tester when inserted comes out clean.

 Easily removed from the loaf pan (it's the Baker's Joy, good stuff!), cooling on  a wire rack and perfectly golden brown.

 So now it's cooled and I get to taste it, yippee!  Rich, buttery and moist, just like I said.  I dusted it with some powdered sugar, hmmm let's see, what will I have with it tonight?

I think I'll have it plain with a cup of tea!

Rich and Moist Pound Cake

Ingredients  - All Ingredients should be at room temperature

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

5 large eggs

2 cups all purpose unbleached white flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour your loaf pan (or use Baker's Joy).

In a large bowl of a mixer, on medium speed, cream the butter until it is softened, slowly add the sugar, beat until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each.  Whisk together the flour and salt in a small bowl, then add to the mixture and beat until combined.  Add the lemon zest, vanilla, vanilla bean paste (see note) and the milk, mix until all is combined.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 90 minutes, or a cake tester when inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven, let sit for about 3 -5 minutes, before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.  Cool completely.  Slice and serve plain or with your favorite toppings. 

NOTE:  If you do not have vanilla bean paste, use 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. So 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla total.

Bay Scallops and Linguine

I was in the market the other day and saw bay scallops in the seafood case.  I usually buy sea scallops when making a meal, because they are much larger, so I thought I would give these a try.  I am glad I did, they were fantastic!  I made a garlic sauce with a shot of fresh lemon and fresh parsley to flavor it up a bit.  To my surprise the family loved it!  I will be making this one again.

Recipe below.  To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

Scallops are somewhat wet when you buy them, to dry them out a little I spread them out on a few layers of papers towels.

 I used 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron frying pan to pan sear them.

All bouncing around in the pan and browning up.

A few things to flavor up my sauce.

Scallops tossed together with linguine, a shot of fresh lemon juice, zest of the lemon and fresh parsley right before serving gives it great flavor.  This dish is heaven in a bowl!

There is only one way to make this dish better, fresh grated Parmegiano  - Reggiano cheese.  I added a salad so we would have some veggies with our meal- Iceberg lettuce wedges, campari tomatoes, English cucumber, chopped bacon and ranch dressing.

Bay Scallops with Linguine

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 lbs bay scallops

1 lb. linguine

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, more if you like heat

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 lemon and zest from the lemon

Directions

Start a pot of salted water on high heat for the pasta. Spread the scallops out over a few layers of paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.  In a large skillet over medium -high heat, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter.  When butter has melted, add the scallops and cook until all are browned about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to plate.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the 1/3 cup of olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of parsley.  Cook until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, be careful not to burn it.  Remove from heat.

Add the pasta to the water when it boils and cook to your liking, I like mine al dente.  When pasta is ready, drain, pour back into the pot, add the scallops, garlic oil, the remainder of parsley and squeeze the 1/2 of lemon and sprinkle zest over the top.  Toss together and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with grated Parmegiano - Reggiano cheese. Makes 8 servings.  

Paris Is Always A Great Idea!

My youngest is leaving for Paris, France next week, for her whole Junior year of college.  We are going to miss her, A LOT!  I thought it was bad enough sending her off to college her Freshman year.  She went to London that year for her first semester.   I was a mess, worrying how would she manage, shop for herself, cook for herself, learn the money system, the transportation system, school, as well as just being in a foreign country.  It was very scary for me, not her though, she mastered all of it.   I grew many gray hairs that year,  now I will have to buy stock in one of the hair color companies!   A year is a long time not to see her.  She will be there for all the holidays too, we won't see her until May 2015.  She does not speak French, has to learn another money and transportation system, school will be another challenge for her.  She is very bright (not just a mom saying her kid is bright) she really is smart.  Took college courses in her senior year of high school, always on the honor roll since elementary school.  She also can hold her own in a group of seasoned adults when having conversations about politics, religion or any other subject you throw at her.  I am sad about her leaving, but also glad for her, she earned it with all her hard work through many years of school, and she deserves it because she is a good kid, never any trouble.  I had many sleepless nights these past few months, but time's running out for me to worry, she is leaving and that's that.  I will see and talk to her via social media, I am grateful for that, and I am sure she is going to have the time of her life!

In honor of her leaving, we decided to have a small gathering (a going away party, but sure to return!) of her friends and family for a night of everything French.  French food, decorations, music and wine.  One of the first things I made was a dessert, Madeleine's, and they were so easy to make.  Madeleine's are little cake/cookies.  Recipe below.

What you  need: Flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, eggs, honey, salt, lemon and lemon extract and confectioners sugar.  You also need a Madeleine pan, they are not very expensive, and trust me after making these, you WILL make them again.

 Some equipment you will need and butter melting in the pan.

Butter is melted and adding the honey.

Lemon zest and pure Lemon Extract.  My Madeleine's were lemon flavored, you can make them whatever flavor you like.  My dry ingredients mixed together.

Mixing in the wet ingredients and generously spray that pan.

 The batter will be on the bubbly side.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

 I used a flatware tablespoon to fill my pan, it almost has the same shape and size as the pan.  The batter went in with no mess.

 Baking in the oven and getting brown around the edges.  Sprung from the pan and cooling on a rack.  The bottom of them are plain....

 When turned on the right side they have a shell shape.

 

 Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.

 LEMON MADELEINE'S

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

7 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of honey

3/4 cup of unbleached flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 eggs, room temperature, beaten

Zest of a lemon

1 teaspoon of pure Lemon Extract

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Directions
In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  When butter has melted add the honey and stir until honey has melted. In a medium bowl with a whisk, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.  With a hand mixer on low, add the eggs, lemon zest, lemon extract and the butter mixture.  Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray Madeleine baking pan with cooking spray.  Spoon batter until 2/3 full into the wells.  Bake until brown around the edges and cake springs back when touched, about 6 - 8 minutes. Remove from oven and shake them out of the pan onto a cooling rack, they have to be removed from the pan ASAP or they will stick.  Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, then dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.  Makes 18 large Madeleine's.